Old toys, fax machines, bikes and alligators – there have been a lot of crazy things discovered down drains but this one really does take the (dog) biscuit.
We’ve all lost or misplaced prized possessions and we all know that faint twinge of horror as the realisation dawns upon us. Well, you can up that horror ten-fold if you’re Andrew Kelly. The North Shields resident has taken it a whole step further when he lost his puppy, Ella.
The little black Patterdale Terrier became the centre of a massive rescue mission, which probably wouldn’t look out of place in a Hollywood movie, after disappearing down a school drainage system. It seems Ella got a little curious while sniffing around the gully feeding system, and ended up trapped beneath Monkseaton High School.
Kelly said, ‘It was about 5pm and I had her out on her walk. She usually doesn’t move from my side but she got a smell of something.’ Although he could hear the poor dog barking and crying out, Kelly couldn’t quite figure out precisely where she was. Kelly explained that he was, ‘absolutely devastated when Ella went missing; I really thought she was gone forever. After trying for ages to get her out, by shouting her name and leaving food for her, I had to leave as I work night shifts. My friends went along but they could only hear her cries. I went back at 5am, straight from work, and met the school caretaker, Nikky Boak, and the council was called. Next thing, there were loads of people there from different organisations trying to find her.’
Once the council was involved, Kelly and co. were able to source plans for the sewer system running underneath the high school. From there, they were able to ascertain the location of the manhole covers along the drain’s route, and after prising up a few, discovered the cowering terrier.
Commenting on the incident afterwards, Ella’s owner said, ‘Ella is completely fine after her night away, you wouldn’t think anything had even happened. I couldn’t be happier to have her back and I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved. They all went out of their way to help and I couldn’t have asked for better service. Ella’s fine now, although she slept all day and night when she got home. She won’t be allowed off the lead from now on.’
Aw, we do love a happy ending.
Here at Inspect a Drain, we specialise in unblocking blocked drains in Nottingham. Whatever the issue with your drainage system – whether it’s blocked from natural causes like fallen leaves, or your gorgeous little terrier – we’ll be happy to help. For more information, please contact us on 0115 8226086 or 07967 029298.